Cupid Cats

by Katie MacAlister

  “Or we’ll have to take him somewhere he can’t quickly return from,” Avery finished for me. “That’s no problem. We’ll just tie him up and toss him in the back of Paen’s car, and he and Sam can haul Dieter somewhere remote.”

  “Like hell you will. I don’t want to be stuck with a pissed-off therion,” Paen protested.

  “No other choice,” Avery answered, glancing around the room. He briefly examined the hose Cora had brought, obviously rejecting it. “We need something to tie him.”

  “Afraid I’m fresh out of rope,” Sam said, making a show of patting her pockets.

  “Nothing else for it,” Avery sighed after a quick search of the room, pulling off his shirt and tearing it to strips.

  “You told him to do that, didn’t you?” Cora accused me.

  I tried very hard to drag my eyes off the sight of Avery’s bare chest to look at her, but my brain couldn’t seem to get the order through. “Huh?”

  “I can tell by the look on your face that you’re snatching at any excuse to get him shirtless.”

  Avery, with a roll of his eyes, finished twisting the strips of shirt and turned to go into the bathroom.

  My eyes widened even more at the close-up view of his back. He wasn’t bodybuilder muscley, but he was a damned fine sight nonetheless. My brain just kind of shut down as I drank in his naked upper half, wanting to stroke the long planes of his back, to trace out the hills and valleys caused by the silky-smooth skin lying over ropes of muscles that made me feel intensely female, and, more than anything, I wanted to run my tongue along the long line of his spine.

  Right, that did it. The stroking I could cope with. The tracing was pushing it. But the tongue up my back was too much. You can’t think thoughts like that at me and not expect me to act on them.

  Stop eavesdropping! I yelled, mortified and aroused at the same time.

  Never. Your place or mine?

  Your place is with a bunch of animal-changing maniacs!

  True. Your place, then. Just as soon as we can manage.

  I didn’t answer, not trusting myself to respond reasonably.

  By the time Avery and Paen had the still-sleeping Dieter-wolf tied up and deposited in the back of a black sedan, and I had given them directions to a suitable release spot, it was past two in the afternoon.

  “I should get the truck turned back in,” I said with a glance at my watch. “So I think it’s a good idea to head back to the office. Hopefully, Greg will be there, and I’ll be able to talk to him.”

  “We will talk to him,” Avery said, taking my hand as I started for the truck.

  “Are all vampires this pushy?” Cora asked Sam.

  “Unfortunately, yes. Your sister had better get used to it. They don’t get any better.” Sam paused at the look her husband gave her. “What?”

  “Don’t tell her that. She’ll never agree to Join with Avery, and we’ll have him on our hands for eternity.”

  Avery made a rude gesture at his brother that caused him to laugh, but he accepted the shirt Paen handed over from his luggage. Once Avery’s distracting chest was covered, we all dispersed to our respective vehicles; Avery, Cora and I to the state truck, and Paen and Sam to their rented wolf-laden car. I sat in the middle, next to Avery, who claimed he preferred to drive.

  “Don’t tell me you’re the sort of man who hates to be driven by a woman,” I said, giving him the keys that Cora had grudgingly handed over.

  “I don’t like being driven by anyone, but that’s not pertinent. If you drive, your sister will insist on sitting between us, and my ribs are already bruised from where she’s repeatedly dug her elbows into them.”

  “Cora!” I gave her a scathing look as I scooted over next to Avery, unable to ignore the part of my mind that was making happy noises at being pressed up next to him. His body was warm and hard and so incredibly male it made my mouth water.

  “Who, me? I would never do anything so petty.” Her face was angelic, but I wasn’t in the least fooled.

  I focused on keeping my hands to myself and on not touching Avery.

  But I’d like you to touch me. Not as much as I’d like to touch you, though.

  I kept my mind firmly on what I was going to say to Greg. “I think we’re going to have to be straightforward with him. He’s never been the sort of guy to pick up on subtle hints.”

  “Subtle as in, stop hitting on me; I’m not interested in you?” Cora asked.

  Avery’s thoughts were suddenly filled with violence.

  Stop pretending to be jealous.

  I’m not pretending.

  It’s not going to impress me. Greg hasn’t done anything to warrant your thinking things like that. Or that. And gelding is definitely out. They have laws against that, you know!

  I’m a Moravian, Beloved. I am above such things as mortal laws.

  And conceited to boot. You can posture all you like, but it’s not going to impress me.

  He said nothing, but I caught a shadow of a thought that had me worried he wasn’t trying to play he-man just to impress me.

  By the time I turned the truck in and made it back to the office, we hadn’t come to a consensus on how to deal with Greg.

  “If you two would just stay here, I will go see if he’s even in the office,” I told Avery and Cora as they followed me down the hall to the big room that housed all the officers for the two counties we covered.

  “Jacintha!”

  “Too late,” Cora said softly, watching with bright, interested eyes as Greg emerged from his office at the end of the hall and came barreling toward us.

  “Just the woman I hoped to see. Perhaps you can spare me a few minutes to talk about some upcoming plans I have for the department. Your input is invaluable when it comes to making decisions, you know.”

  He stopped in front of me, giving me his usual oily smile, one that faded slightly when Avery wrapped an arm around my waist and hauled me tight into his side.

  “Er . . .” Greg looked askance at Avery. “And this is?”

  “Her fiancé,” Avery said in a voice that was outwardly pleasant but with a distinct undertone of warning.

  Oh, you are not!

  You’re my Beloved. That is infinitely more binding than a mortal engagement.

  “Yeah,” Cora said, nodding as her gaze narrowed on Greg when I introduced Avery to him. “They’re engaged.”

  I looked at her in complete surprise. “You don’t even like Avery!”

  “So? He saved you from that weirdo Dieter. And besides, he’s better than the alternatives,” she said with a pointed glance at Greg.

  “Cora! I’m sorry, Greg; my sister isn’t usually so rude.”

  “Oh, I can be.”

  Greg waved away the insult. “Engaged, eh? Congratulations. Did you say Dieter? Dieter Baum?”

  Next to me, Avery stiffened.

  “Yes,” I said slowly, trying to read Greg’s expression. His eyes, not nearly as clear and pure a blue as Avery’s, looked confused. “Dieter caught me on his land earlier today when I was going to see Albert, and he attacked me.”

  “Good God. Come into my office and tell me about it,” Greg said, ushering us into his office. “Are you all right? Did you call the police?”

  “I’m fine, and no, no police. Avery was there and managed to handle the situation,” I said quickly.

  “I see.” He looked at Avery again. “How fortunate he was there at that moment.”

  “Yes. Greg, perhaps you can help me. I would like to talk to Albert about some issues with wildlife in the area, but naturally, after the attack, I’m hesitant to go onto Leshy lands.”

  Nice ad-libbing, Avery said with approval.

  I’m rather pleased with it, myself.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t be if I were you,” Greg said, waving away my worry. “Albert’s all right. Dieter’s a bit of a nut ball, but if you stay away from him, you should be fine.”

  “You know Albert Baum?” Avery asked.

  “Met him
several years ago. He’s harmless enough. I won’t say he’s not a pain in the ass during hunting season, but the rest of the year he’s pretty reasonable. If you don’t mind my asking, when did you get engaged, Jacintha?”

  Somewhat taken aback by the shift in topic, I hesitated before answering. “Well, to be honest, we’re not actually engaged.”

  “Yes, we are.”

  “Avery is Scottish, you see, and they do things a little differently in Scotland,” I explained, mentally growling at the man in question.

  “No, we don’t.”

  “I think I understand,” Greg said, his face suddenly inscrutable. “Yes, I think I understand it all.”

  A chill went through me. “When’s the last time you saw any of the Leshies?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “It’s been some time. Maybe six months. Why?”

  Rats. I think he’s suspicious, I told Avery.

  No. Just shrewd.

  Not his natural state, I assure you.

  That you know of.

  True. “I just wondered if perhaps something had happened that would leave them all a bit skittish around outsiders. Or rather, more skittish than normal. Say . . . some problem with their game.”

  “Game? Do you think they’re raising the animals for slaughter?” Greg pounced on my carefully chosen word, leaving me disconcerted.

  “No, nothing like that. It was just a slip of the tongue.”

  “I see. Well, I haven’t heard of anything amiss with Baum and his group, but I don’t maintain much contact with them at all. Just the odd e-mail now and again, and of course, I hear about their interactions with hunters during the hunting season.”

  That tells us nothing, damn it. I can’t decide whether he looks innocent and is really guilty, or vice versa, I grumbled.

  You didn’t expect him to admit anything, did you?

  Expect? No. Hope . . . kind of.

  Greg turned the subject to matters of state policy, asking my opinion on a number of items, which I answered absently, all the while Avery and I trying to figure out whether we had any other conversational gambit to offer.

  We didn’t. “Thanks for your time,” Greg said some fifteen minutes later, giving Avery an odd look as we left his office. “And nice to meet your . . . er . . . friend.”

  Cora tugged on my arm as Greg toddled off to attend a meeting. “That was boring beyond human comprehension. So, inquiring minds want to know: What were you guys saying on your mental Instant Messengers?”

  Chapter 7

  “How do you know we said anything?” I wondered whether there was some way Cora knew when Avery and I were doing the mental thing.

  “ ’Cause you snickered under your breath a couple of times, and I fail to see how policy regarding wild salmon is enough to tickle anyone’s funny bone. What did you guys say?”

  “Is she always this nosy?” Avery asked as I made a decision and headed toward the entrance of the building.

  “Hey! It’s called sisterly concern. And you’d better get used to it, bucko, because I’m not going to leave Jas alone so you can brainwash her.”

  Avery’s expression was one of weary resignation. “I’m beginning to see the charm of remaining unentangled.”

  “If you’re referring to me, you’re more than welcome to be as footloose and fancy-free as you like,” I said with much dignity. “The last thing I want to do is entangle someone against his wishes.”

  Oh, really? So that thought about tying me down and licking various sticky substances off me wasn’t yours?

  I blushed remembering it.

  “So, what now? We just go home and wait?” Cora asked as I gave Avery directions to my apartment.

  “Yes.” I glanced at Avery, once again telling my mind to stop flinging itself around in wild abandon at being pressed up against his side. “We should probably stop at a store to get you some clothes that fit, unless you want to keep wearing those borrowed things. There’s an outlet mall about half an hour from here. And then . . .”

  “Then what?” Cora frowned at Avery when he casually dropped his hand onto my leg.

  You need to eat, don’t you? I can feel that you’re getting more and more hungry. How do you normally handle that?

  Feeding? I find someone isolated, feed, and give them a little mind push to forget that fact.

  I see. It sounds rather cold and impersonal.

  It can be, although usually it’s the opposite.

  I glanced at him in surprise. Feeding is stimulating?

  Arousing. Sometimes. Depends on the person.

  Irritation prickled along my skin at the thought of Avery’s drinking another woman’s blood, his body all warm and sensual and so sexy it made my stomach hurt.

  It doesn’t have to be that way, Beloved.

  You can control your horn-dawg ways?

  Not in that sense. I meant that if you fed me, there would be no reason for you to feel so jealous.

  I am not feeling jealous. I have nothing to be jealous about, despite your claim I’m some sort of quasi soul saver.

  There’s nothing quasi about you, love.

  I dropped the conversation, murmuring something innocuous to Cora as we drove to the outlet mall. An hour later we arrived at my apartment.

  I pointed Avery to the small bathroom attached to my bedroom so he could shower and change.

  “I don’t suppose it would do any good for me to warn you about the dangers of sex with a vampire?” Cora tossed the question at me as I went into my room to change my clothes.

  “None whatsoever,” I answered, closing the door behind me.

  “Fine, but when you come crying to me about being enslaved to a tomcat vampire, I get to say I told you so!” she bellowed before she headed to the other bedroom to unpack her things.

  I am not a tomcat. I am a therion. There is a difference.

  You’re eavesdropping again.

  I can’t help it. He thought of licking a line up my spine, making me suddenly stand up very straight. Now who’s eavesdropping?

  I grumbled to myself as I pulled off my uniform, hurrying into the oversized spa robe before he emerged from the bathroom. Steam curled around him through the open door. His hair was several shades darker, wet, and slicked back from his forehead. He wore a pair of jeans he’d purchased, but nothing more. At the sight of me, his eyebrows rose. “I would have been happy to wait for you had I known you wished to shower, as well.”

  “Thank you, but I prefer to take showers by myself.”

  His smile, as I passed him to enter the warm, steamy bathroom, was full of promise, but he said nothing.

  He wasn’t stark naked and in my bed when I came out of the bathroom, as I half expected. Instead, he stood at the window, having angled the blinds carefully so the sunlight wouldn’t strike him.

  “You really are opposed to our Joining, aren’t you?” he said without looking at me.

  “I’m not sure I understand exactly what that is,” I answered, fingering the thick cotton lapel on my robe.

  “For a Dark One, there are seven steps. But for me, there are only six.”

  “And what are they?”

  “A marking, protection, fluids exchange, trust, a second exchange, and overcoming darkness. Dark Ones have a final step: an exchange of blood.”

  “Fluids exchange?” I asked, creeped out.

  His lips quirked. “Saliva counts.”

  “Oh, that kind of fluids,” I said, thinking about the steamy kisses we’d shared. “It seems to me that we’ve done most of those.”

  “We have. All but one.”

  I waited, sure he would tell me.

  “Darkness.” His eyes glittered in the relative dimness of my room. “You must overcome the darkness that lives within me, the same darkness that resides in all Moravians, for us to be Joined.”

  “And what happens then? We’re . . . married?” I asked, my emotions torn. I had tried to figure out in the shower what I wanted to do about Avery. Part of me wanted to keep him.
He was interesting, fascinating, really, so different from other men, and yet there was something about him that resonated within me, as if he were a missing part of my being. My saner self, however, pointed out the obvious: I’d just met him, knew nothing about him, and oh yes, he was a blood-drinking, shape-shifting jaguar.

  “Marriage is a mortal custom. It can be broken. Joining is for all time. You would become my Beloved, and we would be bound together for the rest of our lives, which will no doubt be for many centuries.”

  “Centuries!”

  “Beloveds, both those of Dark Ones and Moravians, are immortal.” He moved toward me, and my inner self almost drooled while admiring the way his muscles moved together. He took my hands, his thumbs stroking gently over my fingers. “You have seen my thoughts, so you know this is not something I had sought.”

  “Oh, I’m quite aware that you were very happy seducing every woman who came within ten feet of you.”

  “Not every woman,” he said with a devilish grin that melted my heart.

  “Do you seriously think I want to spend the rest of my life, spend centuries bound to a man with a roving eye and worse? No,” I said, shaking my head. “Call me selfish, but no. I told you earlier that I don’t share.”

  “And that is why I never thought I’d want to find a Beloved.” His lips curled into a half smile. “It just seemed so limiting. But now I see why Paen and Finn have embraced it. The idea of being bound to you isn’t just enticing; it’s necessary.” He leaned close to me, his breath brushing my lips. “You’re necessary.”

  “Avery, what you’re asking—”

  “I know. We’ve just met. You feel you don’t know me. You’re not ready for a commitment like this.”

  “On the nose,” I said, leaning forward to rub my nose against his. “But surely you must feel the same way.”

  His eyes smiled down at me. “If I said no, would you think I was lying?”

  Hesitantly, I let my mind merge with his. His emotions were right there for me to examine, shining with a strength that took my breath away. “You said you weren’t in love with me.”